14-man Sligo bowed out of the Connacht senior football championship on Saturday evening as a superior Roscommon team eased to a 0-23 to 0-11 victory in their semi-final at a wet Markievicz Park.
Sligo trailed their Division 1 opponents by just four points at the interval (0-9 to 0-5) despite Roscommon enjoying the vast majority of possession.
Sligo’s gameplan was also severely disrupted by the dismissal of corner-back David Phillips after just 13 minutes, following an altercation with Roscommon’s Conor Cox.
In front of an attendance of 6059, the home side finished that half well through fine points from championship debutant Mark Walsh and Sean Carrabine.
But Roscommon moved up a gear after the restart and, inspired by team captain Enda Smith, they scored the first five points of the second-half without reply to put the game well out of Sligo’s reach.
Sligo manager Tony McEntee spoke to Ocean FM Sport’s Rian Bailey after the game:
Roscommon now await the winners of the Galway-Leitrim semi-final next Sunday.
They will meet at Pearse Stadium in Salthill.
Roscommon forward Enda Smith spoke to Ocean FM Sport’s Rian Bailey after their win:
For Sligo, attention will now turn to the new All-Ireland Tier 2 competition, the Tailteann Cup, which begins at the end of May.
Connacht SFC semi-final result
Sligo 0-11 Roscommon 0-23
Ulster SFC quarter-finals
Monaghan 0-23 Down 2-7
Derry v Tyrone – Sunday.
